Candidates Confront GOP Health Care Bill In Montana Special Election

The three candidates, from left, Republican Greg Gianforte, Democrat Rob Quist and Libertarian Mark Wicks, who are vying to fill Montana's only congressional seat.

Bobby Caina Calvan
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Originally published on May 22, 2017 2:47 pm

Many Democrats are hoping the GOP health care bill that narrowly passed the U.S. House of Representatives is going to push political momentum their way, and result in big gains in the 2018 midterm elections. A special election next week in Montana may be an early test for this theory.

President Trump won Montana by 20 points in the November 2016 election, and the May 25 special election is being held to replace the state's only congressman, Rep. Ryan Zinke, whom Trump nominated to be interior secretary.

Montana resident Jim Lynch plans to vote for the Republican candidate, Greg Gianforte. Lynch is a member of the Glacier Country Pachyderm Club and members get together once a month in Kalispell, Mont., to talk about advancing Republican values.

Lynch says health care is a top issue for him. He hates the Affordable Care Act. He's 63 and says he maintained good health insurance coverage throughout the Obama administration. But, he says, "There's a lot of people in my shoes who aren't that lucky. I do know, personally, that they've seen huge increases in health care costs, to the point that they don't even have it anymore."

Indeed, people who are 55 to 64 can be charged as much as three times what a younger person can be charged for health insurance. Subsidies are available based on income, but older people may earn more than young people just starting their careers.

Lynch says he doesn't think the House health care bill is perfect, but he's confident that, as President Trump shepherds it through Congress, it will be modified into something much better than the Affordable Care Act.

About a hundred miles south in Missoula, Mont., restaurant owner Molly Galusha dreads the idea of Obamacare being repealed. She says the current health care law's subsidies have made it possible for her employees to afford health coverage on the wages she can afford to pay them.

Galusha is 62 and gets her health coverage through her husband's job. She says she doesn't know what they'd do if their insurance went away.

"We're old and broken," she laughs.

The Affordable Care Act's protections for people with pre-existing conditions are also likely to affect older people, because the likelihood of having a pre-existing condition increases with age.

"We are uninsurable as a couple, so we're very grateful," Galusha says.

Republican candidate Gianforte says he won't vote for a health care bill that doesn't work for Montana.

He also says he would have voted against the House health care bill, because there wasn't enough time to read and understand it before the House voted.

Democrats, however, accuse Gianforte of being disingenuous. They point to a recording of a phone call he had with lobbyists on the day the House bill passed, which was leaked to The New York Times. On the tape he can be heard saying, "Sounds like we just passed a health care thing, which I'm thankful for, that we're starting to repeal and replace."

Democratic candidate Rob Quist pounced on those words. Quist needs Republican votes to win, so he's trying to convince Republicans that their candidate will sell out the state's interests on health care.

"Montanans want a Congressman who'll shoot straight, not a dishonest politician who says one thing to Montanans and another to the millionaires behind closed doors," he says. Quist says he wants to build on the ACA and thinks the country should eventually move to a single-payer health insurance system.

This story is part of a reporting partnership with NPR, Montana Public Radio and Kaiser Health News.

Now, we're going to talk about the politics of health care. Democrats hope the controversial House bill will push political momentum their way and result in big gains in the 2018 midterm elections. Before then, there will be special elections to fill vacant seats in Congress. There's one happening next week in Montana. Montana Public Radio's Eric Whitney talked with voters there.

ERIC WHITNEY, BYLINE: Montana is Trump country. The president won by 20 points here thanks to people like these.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Thank you for the very lovely prayer at the rally for Greg Gianforte at...

WHITNEY: They're members of the Glacier Country Pachyderm Club who get together once a month in Kalispell and talk about advancing Republican values. Jim Lynch is a regular and says health care is a top issue for him in Montana's special election. Lynch, who's 63, hates Obamacare. He says he's maintained good health coverage himself through the Obama administration.

JIM LYNCH: But there's a lot of people in my shoes that aren't that lucky. And I do know personally that they've seen huge increases in health care costs to the point where, you know, they don't even have it anymore.

WHITNEY: Lynch tells me he doesn't think the House health care bill is perfect but that he's confident that as President Trump shepherds it through Congress, it will be modified into something much better than the Affordable Care Act.

About a hundred miles south in Missoula, restaurant owner Molly Galusha dreads the idea of repealing the health care law. She says the current health care law subsidies have made it possible for her employees to afford health coverage on the wages she can afford to pay them. Galusha is 62 and gets her health coverage through her husband's job.

MOLLY GALUSHA: We're old and broken (laughter).

WHITNEY: She says she doesn't know what they'd do if their insurance went away because the Affordable Care Act's protections for people with pre-existing conditions protect her and her husband.

GALUSHA: We are uninsurable as a couple, so we're very grateful.

WHITNEY: The Republican candidate in this special election is Greg Gianforte. He says he won't vote for a health care bill that doesn't work for Montana.

GREG GIANFORTE: I need to know that in fact it'll bring premiums down, preserve rural access and protect people with pre-existing conditions.

WHITNEY: Gianforte says he would have voted against the House health care bill because there wasn't enough time to read and understand the bill before the House voted. Democrats say don't believe that line. They point to a fundraising call that Gianforte did with lobbyists on the day the House bill passed, which was leaked to The New York Times.

GIANFORTE: Sounds like we just passed a health care thing, which I'm thankful for, and that we're starting to repeal and replace.

WHITNEY: Democratic candidate Rob Quist pounced on those words. To win, Quist needs to get at least some Republican voters to cross over to him, so he's trying to convince Republicans that their candidate will sell out the state's interests on health care.

ROB QUIST: Montanans want a congressman who will shoot straight, not a dishonest politician who says one thing to Montanans and another to the millionaires behind closed doors.

WHITNEY: But the House health care bill itself is unlikely to sway entrenched Republican voters here. They trust President Trump and Gianforte to deliver on repealing and replacing the current health care law. Quist, the Democrat, says he wants to build on the ACA and thinks the country should eventually move to a single-payer system. For NPR News, I'm Eric Whitney in Missoula, Mont. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.